Feb 27

Ringtone: Scotland the Brave

blackwatch-pipers


“Scotland the Brave” (Scottish Gaelic: Alba an Àigh) is a Scottish patriotic song. It was one of several songs considered an unofficial national anthem of Scotland.

My cellphone ringtone is Scotland the Brave. At any rehearsal, everyone knows it’s my phone, if one is ringing 🙂  I posted a bit about that here: http://maryoblog.com/2015/08/

Below, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards pipes and drums perform Scotland The Brave, The Black Bear and Highland Laddie on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. In typically inclement Scottish weather, the Pipes and Drums were performing to mark the release of their second album Spirit of the Glen: Journey. Part of this album was recorded when the regiment was on active service in Iraq.

https://youtu.be/wjYnddeEfao

With a view of the amazing Scottish country taken from across Scotland.

https://youtu.be/PSH0eRKq1lE

 

I had no idea that there were lyrics and I’ve never heard anyone singing them but here they are:

Hark when the night is falling
Hear! Hear the pipes are calling,
Loudly and proudly calling,
Down thro’ the glen.
There where the hills are sleeping,
Now feel the blood a-leaping,
High as the spirits of the old Highland men.

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour,
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart for ever,
Scotland the brave.

High in the misty Highlands,
Out by the purple islands,
Brave are the hearts that beat
Beneath Scottish skies.
Wild are the winds to meet you,
Staunch are the friends that greet you,
Kind as the love that shines from fair maiden’s eyes.

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour,
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart for ever,
Scotland the brave.

Far off in sunlit places,
Sad are the Scottish faces,
Yearning to feel the kiss
Of sweet Scottish rain.
Where tropic skies are beaming,
Love sets the heart a-dreaming,
Longing and dreaming for the homeland again.

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour,
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart for ever,
Scotland the brave.

Feb 25

The Music Man

 

 

TCM is currently doing 31 Days of Oscars.  I first sort of noticed this when I looked ahead in the scheduling and noticed that all TCM shows were alphabetized.  At first, I thought maybe that this scheme was some sort of placeholder before I realized what they were doing. Personally, I preferred when 31 Days grouped films by nomination category, by studio or by actor. Alphabetical is easy for them but hard on me, looking through every entry to see what to record.

 

Saturday, we were up to the M’s and Tivo faithfully recorded (The) Music Man.  When I watched it on Sunday, I was most pleased to realize that I remembered all the words.

 

 

Remembering all the words is no small feat.
I first started collecting records (yes, records!) of musicals when I was in high school in Springfield, MA.  Our library had an outstanding record collection, but I could only check out one (or 2?) at a time.

I would bring my record(s) home, and listen to them like crazy.  Then I’d save my allowance and any work money I had and go to the local department store to buy my favorites.   I always bought musicals and they were nearly Original Broadway Cast.  Years later, I still have all these records, even though I usually listen on Spotify or on one of my carefully curated playlists. (I also can’t listen to any of the music out of order.)

As the years roll by, many of these musicals, like The Music Man, have gone on to become films.  I am not usually a happy camper when the music is changed from what I remember of the OBCs and the film, but The Music Man film made the cut for me  🙂

 

 

Feb 17

President’s Day

Today is President’s Day, a combo of holidays for George Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, making a new Monday holiday.

These days people don’t seem to celebrate much except for having car and furniture sales.


When I was a kid, we lived in a small town (Pawcatuck, CT and Westerly, RI are sister towns, virtually interchangeable with each other).

Our combined town celebrated George’s birthday with cherry pies.

All the kids went around to the stores, and even bars!, and collected Table Talk pies.

I would come home with piles of the pies – which I loved and is still my favorite today.

As far as I remember, no one did anything for Abe’s birthday 🙁

I have mentioned this quirky event to several others and nobody has heard of giving away cherry pies like this on any holiday.

But everyone I’ve asked wishes that it still happened!

 

 

Feb 15

Little Free Library

lfl

 

So far, Tom has filled in the cracks that appeared during shipping and has sanded everything down, getting ready for painting.

 

We’ve decided on a bright blue to match my car and a yellow roof (to make it Cushing’s colors!)

cushie-car

 

I’ve ordered stamps for the insides of the books, pencils with our motto (Take a Book ~ Return a Book).

 

Some of our books will also be part of BookCrossing. If you don’t know what that is, here’s more info: http://www.bookcrossing.com/about

 

I’ll keep you posted with more info as the construction continues, getting read for the Grand Opening!

 

Feb 14

Happy Valentine’s Day

greetings-valentines-day-animated

 

Have a special day today!

 

 

 

 

Feb 13

International Book Giving Day

book-giving-day-infographic

 

Some of you may know that I’m getting involved in Little Free Library (LFL) and there is a library on my street under the auspices of the O’Connor Music Studio.

When our son was younger and used to come home for a visit, we would s go out on a hiking trail with the dog, Mimi, and sometimes my mom.  On one occasion, we saw a LFL in the middle of a trail and thought someone made it themselves.

Then there was another another one…

DS knew I was fascinated by this whole idea and ordered one for me for Christmas.

I have found one other in our neighborhood, outside the swimming pool.

Watch for more information about our LFL.

 

 

In the meantime, don’t forget to celebrate International Book Giving Day tomorrow.

 

From http://bookgivingday.com/

You’ve heard about International Book Giving Day. You love the idea. You’ve got some great quality books. What next?

This fabulous infographic (above) has been created by Jo Ebisujima – Jojoebi, one of the IBGD team, to help you solve that very quandary.

Share your plans on social media using #bookgivingday

Feb 07

Sean Connery

 
 

This video just came up on my Facebook feed  but I hadn’t seen it before.  This was  a fantastic performance for Sean Connery in 1999.

Sean Connery was honored at the Kennedy Center for lifetime achievements. The music consists of the Washington Pipe Band, Alasdair Fraser, Davidson School of Scottish Dance, Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis.

Feb 02

Who Knew?

 

Interesting factoid from the Who Knew category…

(1732) Italian anatomist Antonio Maria Valsalva was born. He is credited with developing the Valsalva maneuver, the process of trying to blow air out of your nose while it is plugged in order to clear the airways of the ears.

He also coined the term Eustachian tube and he described the aortic sinuses of Valsalva in his writings, published posthumously in 1740.

If you want to say read this during dinner tonight, here’s the correct pronunciation:

 

Feb 02

Happy Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day is observed on February 2nd, each year in the United States and Canada.

For a nice welcomed break during the winter, on this day the groundhog awakens from his nap and goes outside to see if he can see his shadow. It is believed by many that if the groundhog sees his shadow that there will then be six more weeks of winter. If this is so, he then heads back into his den and goes back to sleep. If he is not able to see his shadow, the groundhog remains outside and, supposedly, spring is just around the corner.

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania has been chosen as the site for the annual Groundhog day event. Thousands of people come to the town of Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day for this day of celebration.

Although already a well known day, Groundhog Day received widespread attention as a result of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney, PA.

 

 

Last year, Groundhog Day happens to be the date of my total knee replacement.  I hope this doesn’t mean I have to do that over and over again.

Jan 27

Happy Anniversary, 2025!

Another anniversary rolls around, the 52nd, to be exact.  From a couple year’s ago t-shirts:

I always like to check out this picture of our wedding expenses.  We have it framed and sitting on our mantle.

Tom paid $50.46 (blood tests and wedding ring!) and my costs (I made my own dress) were $29.25.

We were lucky.  My dad was the minister at the Barre (MA) Congregational Church so he didn’t charge us to perform the service.  The women of the church provided the reception in the parsonage.  My mom chipped in the flowers.

Well worth the cost!

Barre Congregational Church

Our honeymoon was in upstate New York so Tom could look for a job.  My only memories of that trip were the snow coming in under the door of our motel and Tom not getting a job.

After that, we drove back to Boston where we rented the bottom floor of my mother-in-law’s house.  In Dorchester, many of the homes were triple deckers and families could have one, two or three floors.

This isn’t where we lived, but a very similar look to her house.

We got all moved in and painted everything (we decided to paint my sewing room a cheery yellow.  The walls just sucked in the yellow paint and we had to use many, many coats). So, Tom got a job in Washington, DC.

So, we packed up and found a small apartment in Alexandria, VA.

That apartment was so small…when my parents came to visit, they slept on cots in the living room with their feet under my newly-acquired piano.

Then we moved to Holmes Run Parkway (also in Alexandria), Silver Spring, MD, Wilmington, DE, and finally settled in Fairfax, VA.

Nine years ago to celebrate our anniversary, Tom had a heart attack.  I wrote a lot about that here: https://maryomedical.com/2017/01/27/giving-thanks-day-3/

Nowadays, our son is married and has 2 sons of his own.

 

I was hoping for a nice, quiet day today but it’s a meeting/work/teaching day.

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